Did Dehua porcelain influence European ceramics?

Dehua porcelain influenced European ceramics strongly during the 17th and 18th centuries, where imported Blanc de Chine figures entered royal collections, merchant houses, and curiosity cabinets across France, Germany, England, and the Netherlands. European potters studied the white glaze and sculptural style closely. Before hard-paste porcelain production began in Europe, local factories struggled with soft-paste formulas and Chinese imports showed European artisans what true porcelain looked like. Meissen craftsmen in Saxony copied Chinese forms after Augustus the Strong imported large ceramic collections during the early 1700s, French factories at Saint-Cloud and Chantilly produced white figures inspired by Dehua models and Italian Doccia porcelain workshops created similar Buddhist-style sculptures during the 18th century. Museum curators often place such pieces beside original Chinese works for comparison. Auction archives show European collectors paying high prices for imported Dehua porcelain during the Georgian era and inventories from English country houses list “white China figures” among prized decorative objects.